Post by 808 on Jan 10, 2007 17:33:45 GMT -5
Six Players Added to U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Training Team
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 10, 2007) – U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team Head Coach “Jenny” Lang Ping has added six players to the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Training Team that will start workouts on Jan. 16, 2007, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Setters Courtney Thompson (Kent, Wash.) and Ashley Nu’u (Aurora, Colo.), liberos Jillian Davis (La Canada, Calif.) and Allison Anderson (Moraga, Calif.), and outside hitters Kelly Bowman (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Kristen Fenton (Marysville, Mich.) have been invited to train with the national team. Bowman will also cross-train as a setter and libero.
The newcomers will join a select group of returnees with national team experience including setter Lindsey Hunter (Papillion, Neb.) and liberos Candace Lee (Eugene, Ore.) and Sarah Drury (Louisville, Ky.). Both Hunter and Drury were on the 12-player roster that competed at the 2006 FIVB World Championships, while Lee competed for the U.S. during the Pan America Cup and FIVB World Grand Prix tournaments in 2006.
Additional players may be added to the national training team at a later date. In addition, USA Volleyball will conduct a second open tryout Feb. 23-25 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Limited space is still available on a first-come, first-serve basis, but the tryout session is expected to be filled to capacity. For more information, go to www.usavolleyball.org/media/07NTTryout-COS.pdf.
The majority of the veteran Team USA players are currently playing professional indoor volleyball in Europe, Asia and Brazil. The complete team will return to Colorado Springs in late April or early May to prepare for the Pan American Cup held June 15-24.
Allison Anderson (Libero, 5-10, Moraga, Calif.)
Anderson capped her Boston College playing career by being named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America honorable mention list as a senior. She earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference First-Team recognition as a libero for the second consecutive season. Anderson led the Eagles and the ACC with 5.54 digs per game, in addition to an ACC-leading 6.09 digs per game average in conference action. She finished the year ranked 29th in the nation in dig average.
Kelly Bowman (Outside/Opposite, 5-10, Maple Grove, Minn.)
Bowman is a two-time All-Big Ten First-Team selection for the University of Minnesota. She earned AVCA All-America First-Team selection as a sophomore in 2004 playing setter/opposite hitter in a 6-2 offense. Bowman helped the Gophers to a 110-32 record in her four years, including spots in the NCAA national semifinals in 2003 and championship match in 2004. She finished with 2,163-career assists for seventh-best in school history. Bowman also added 815 kills, 1,089 digs, 218 blocks, 82 aces, a .261 individual attack percentage and a .950 serve receive percentage. As a senior playing primarily at opposite, she tallied 258 kills, 27 aces, 335 digs and 82 blocks in 114 games en route to being named All-Big Ten First Team.
Jillian Davis (Libero, 5-9, La Canada, Calif.)
Davis became University of California-Berkeley’s all-time dig leader with 1,810 after a record-breaking senior campaign of 548 digs, breaking her own school record of 538 digs from the previous year. She added 44 aces and 145 assists in her four-year career spanning a total of 399 games and 112 matches as the Bears’ starting libero. Davis set a school single-match record with 33 digs against Stanford on Oct. 1, 2004 during her sophomore season. She earned honorable mention Pac-10 All-Freshman accolades in 2003, followed by honorable mention All-Pac 10 in 2005 and 2006.
Kristen Fenton-Michaelis (Outside Hitter, 5-11, Marysville, Mich.)
Fenton was a three-time letterwinner competing for the Bulldogs from 2001-04. She was selected AVCA All-West Region and All-Western Athletic Conference First-Time twice, along with AVCA All-America honorable mention in 2003. In three-plus years at Fresno State, Fenton accumulated 1,353 kills for a 3.96 kills per game average. Her kill total ranks third in school history, while her kill average is second all-time. Fenton produced a career-best and school rally-era record 41 kills in a five-game match against Cal State Northridge during her junior season. From Sept. 28, 2002, through Sept. 16, 2004, Fenton posted a streak of 52 consecutive 10-plus kill matches.
Ashley Nu’u (Setter, 5-10, Aurora, Colo.)
Nu’u, a 2006 AVCA All-America Third-Team selection playing for the University of Colorado, finished her career at the University of Colorado with a 4,315 assists, third most in school history. As a senior she tallied 1,352 assists for 12.52 per game, 120 kills, 14 aces, 179 digs and 64 blocks while hitting .348 in 108 games. Nu’u earned All-Big 12 First-Team in 2006 and helped the Buffs to an upset of top-ranked and eventual national champion University of Nebraska on Nov. 11, the only loss for the Huskers last season. She completed her CU career ranked 14th in career blocks (243), 30th in career kills (541) and 35th in career digs (573).
Courtney Thompson (Setter, 5-8, Kent, Wash.)
Thompson, a three-time AVCA All-America First-Team selection playing for the University of Washington, set the Pacific-10 Conference record with 6,552 assists for third best in NCAA Division I history. She set the NCAA record for career assists per game with 14.56. Thompson also concluded her career with a school-best 450 starts leading to three appearances in the NCAA Division I Tournament national semifinals and one regional final. She added 1,059-career digs for sixth-best in school history. As a junior, she earned the Honda Sports Award for best volleyball player after leading the Huskies to their first national championship. As a senior, she again was a finalist for the Honda Sports Award as she set the Huskies to a .281 team attack percentage on 14.50 assists per game. Thompson is a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 10, 2007) – U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team Head Coach “Jenny” Lang Ping has added six players to the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Training Team that will start workouts on Jan. 16, 2007, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Setters Courtney Thompson (Kent, Wash.) and Ashley Nu’u (Aurora, Colo.), liberos Jillian Davis (La Canada, Calif.) and Allison Anderson (Moraga, Calif.), and outside hitters Kelly Bowman (Maple Grove, Minn.) and Kristen Fenton (Marysville, Mich.) have been invited to train with the national team. Bowman will also cross-train as a setter and libero.
The newcomers will join a select group of returnees with national team experience including setter Lindsey Hunter (Papillion, Neb.) and liberos Candace Lee (Eugene, Ore.) and Sarah Drury (Louisville, Ky.). Both Hunter and Drury were on the 12-player roster that competed at the 2006 FIVB World Championships, while Lee competed for the U.S. during the Pan America Cup and FIVB World Grand Prix tournaments in 2006.
Additional players may be added to the national training team at a later date. In addition, USA Volleyball will conduct a second open tryout Feb. 23-25 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Limited space is still available on a first-come, first-serve basis, but the tryout session is expected to be filled to capacity. For more information, go to www.usavolleyball.org/media/07NTTryout-COS.pdf.
The majority of the veteran Team USA players are currently playing professional indoor volleyball in Europe, Asia and Brazil. The complete team will return to Colorado Springs in late April or early May to prepare for the Pan American Cup held June 15-24.
Allison Anderson (Libero, 5-10, Moraga, Calif.)
Anderson capped her Boston College playing career by being named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America honorable mention list as a senior. She earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference First-Team recognition as a libero for the second consecutive season. Anderson led the Eagles and the ACC with 5.54 digs per game, in addition to an ACC-leading 6.09 digs per game average in conference action. She finished the year ranked 29th in the nation in dig average.
Kelly Bowman (Outside/Opposite, 5-10, Maple Grove, Minn.)
Bowman is a two-time All-Big Ten First-Team selection for the University of Minnesota. She earned AVCA All-America First-Team selection as a sophomore in 2004 playing setter/opposite hitter in a 6-2 offense. Bowman helped the Gophers to a 110-32 record in her four years, including spots in the NCAA national semifinals in 2003 and championship match in 2004. She finished with 2,163-career assists for seventh-best in school history. Bowman also added 815 kills, 1,089 digs, 218 blocks, 82 aces, a .261 individual attack percentage and a .950 serve receive percentage. As a senior playing primarily at opposite, she tallied 258 kills, 27 aces, 335 digs and 82 blocks in 114 games en route to being named All-Big Ten First Team.
Jillian Davis (Libero, 5-9, La Canada, Calif.)
Davis became University of California-Berkeley’s all-time dig leader with 1,810 after a record-breaking senior campaign of 548 digs, breaking her own school record of 538 digs from the previous year. She added 44 aces and 145 assists in her four-year career spanning a total of 399 games and 112 matches as the Bears’ starting libero. Davis set a school single-match record with 33 digs against Stanford on Oct. 1, 2004 during her sophomore season. She earned honorable mention Pac-10 All-Freshman accolades in 2003, followed by honorable mention All-Pac 10 in 2005 and 2006.
Kristen Fenton-Michaelis (Outside Hitter, 5-11, Marysville, Mich.)
Fenton was a three-time letterwinner competing for the Bulldogs from 2001-04. She was selected AVCA All-West Region and All-Western Athletic Conference First-Time twice, along with AVCA All-America honorable mention in 2003. In three-plus years at Fresno State, Fenton accumulated 1,353 kills for a 3.96 kills per game average. Her kill total ranks third in school history, while her kill average is second all-time. Fenton produced a career-best and school rally-era record 41 kills in a five-game match against Cal State Northridge during her junior season. From Sept. 28, 2002, through Sept. 16, 2004, Fenton posted a streak of 52 consecutive 10-plus kill matches.
Ashley Nu’u (Setter, 5-10, Aurora, Colo.)
Nu’u, a 2006 AVCA All-America Third-Team selection playing for the University of Colorado, finished her career at the University of Colorado with a 4,315 assists, third most in school history. As a senior she tallied 1,352 assists for 12.52 per game, 120 kills, 14 aces, 179 digs and 64 blocks while hitting .348 in 108 games. Nu’u earned All-Big 12 First-Team in 2006 and helped the Buffs to an upset of top-ranked and eventual national champion University of Nebraska on Nov. 11, the only loss for the Huskers last season. She completed her CU career ranked 14th in career blocks (243), 30th in career kills (541) and 35th in career digs (573).
Courtney Thompson (Setter, 5-8, Kent, Wash.)
Thompson, a three-time AVCA All-America First-Team selection playing for the University of Washington, set the Pacific-10 Conference record with 6,552 assists for third best in NCAA Division I history. She set the NCAA record for career assists per game with 14.56. Thompson also concluded her career with a school-best 450 starts leading to three appearances in the NCAA Division I Tournament national semifinals and one regional final. She added 1,059-career digs for sixth-best in school history. As a junior, she earned the Honda Sports Award for best volleyball player after leading the Huskies to their first national championship. As a senior, she again was a finalist for the Honda Sports Award as she set the Huskies to a .281 team attack percentage on 14.50 assists per game. Thompson is a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American.
